The Rolling Stones’ new album, Hackney Diamonds, which gets its release on Friday (October 20), features guest appearances by quite a few noteworthy artists, but none more famous than Sir Paul McCartney.
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The Beatles legend is featured on what’s been described as a punk-influenced track titled “Bite My Head Off,” and Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood shared a tidbit or two about the collaboration in a new interview with NME.
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“The school boy! He was so happy,” Wood said about McCartney getting to record with the Stones. “He actually played on two tracks, one which we’ve got up our sleeve for more music to come, because we cut about 23 songs and we only picked the first 12.”
Hackney Diamonds is The Rolling Stones’ first album of new original songs since 2005, and NME asked Wood if the second track McCartney worked on might take another 18 years to see the light of day. “I don’t think it will be that long,” the 76-year-old guitarist replied.
Another studio highlight for Wood was watching Lady Gaga record her duet with Mick Jagger on the song “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.”
“She was just sitting on the floor, singing along with Mick. A rough vocal, you know,” Wood recalled. “And Mick said, ‘That sounds pretty good. Do you wanna make a go of it?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Well, come on then—stand up and let’s go and work it out together!’ To see it all take shape was very rewarding.”
Wood also revealed that the Stones are planning to start rehearsing soon for future live shows, and reported that they likely will include just three to five of the 12 new Hackney Diamonds songs in their upcoming set.
In addition, NME asked Wood if he’d be interested in playing the U.K.’s famed Glastonbury Festival again with The Rolling Stones like the band did in 2013.
“Me, I’d love it. I think it’s a must,” said Wood, and then suggested that he’d also be up for playing the event with the surviving members of his pre-Stones group.
“If not the Stones then the Faces,” he declared. “It’ll be me, [singer] Rod [Stewart] and [drummer] Kenney [Jones]. That’s not out of the question, you know. I know they want to do it.”
Wood is scheduled to be a guest this Wednesday, October 18, on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, while fellow Stones guitarist Keith Richards will make an appearance on the program this Friday, Hackney Diamonds’ release date.
